With 2026 World Cup coming to Canada, a look at the legacy other big events

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Staff The Canadian Press

WATCH ABOVE: The world's biggest sporting event is coming to our country. In an historic first, three countries - Canada, U.S., and Mexico - will be co-hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Mike Drolet looks at how an unconventional bid came out on top.

A joint North American bid won the right to host the 2026 World Cup in a vote of FIFA’s member delegations on Wednesday, meaning the massive soccer tournament will make its way to Canada for the first time.

Canada has a mixed history of hosting major international sports competitions, from the financially disastrous 1976 Summer Games to the successful 2010 Winter Olympics and 2015 Women’s World Cup.

Here’s a look at the legacy some major events have left on Canadian hosts.

2015 Women’s World Cup

England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, left, tries to prevent the ball from entering the net on a kick from teammate Laura Bassett, on ground centre, as Steph Houghton (5), second from right, and Japan’s Yuki Ogimi (17) look on during first half FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-final soccer action in Edmonton, Alta., Wednesday, July 1, 2015.

Several training sites also got an upgrade. But the tournament was able to take advantage of new CFL stadiums in Ottawa and Winnipeg.

A bigger legacy came off the field where the tournament’s total attendance of 1,353,506 — bear in mind FIFA counted attendance for doubleheaders as two matches even though one ticket gained access to both — set a record for a FIFA competition other than the men’s World Cup.

FILE – In this Sunday, July 5, 2015 file photo, the United States Women’s National Team celebrates with the trophy after they beat Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File

FILE – In this July 5, 2015, file photo, United States’ Abby Wambach, right, gets a kiss from her wife, Sarah Huffman, after the U.S. beat Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, British Columbia.

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File

FIFA called the championship game in Vancouver between the U.S. and Japan the most-watched soccer match in U.S. history, for both men’s and women’s events. Canadian Soccer Association general secretary Peter Montopoli said the success of the Women’s World Cup was raised at almost every member association meeting they had in advance of the 2026 men’s World Cup hosting vote.

Athletes and members of Canada’s delegation, including flagbearer and speedskater Clara Hughes attend the opening ceremony for the Vancouver Winter Olympics at BC place in Vancouver on February 12, 2010.

The 2010 Games announced Canada’s arrival as a Winter Olympic power. Canada won 14 gold medals in Vancouver and Whistler — the most by a Winter Olympic host and tied for the most overall — and 26 medals overall. Buoyed by this success, Canada won 10 gold medals in Sochi, just one behind co-leaders Russia and Norway, and 11 gold medals and a nation-best 29 overall medals in Pyeongchang.

Ice dance gold medalists Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir pose with their medals during victory ceremonies Monday February 22, 2010 at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

As far as infrastructure, Vancouver gained athletic facilities from a games that cost $7.7 billion, and the Canada Line rapid transit connecting the airport, downtown waterfront and Richmond was transformational.

The Olympic rings, made out of flowers, are seen on a overpass along the Sea to Sky highway in Lion’s Bay, B.C. Thursday, August 13, 2009.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Canada’s Ian Chan, far right, passes Sweden’s Per-Johan Uhlmann to score during their match at the World Wheelchair Rugby Championships at the Richmond Olympic Oval in Richmond, B.C., on Thursday September 23, 2010. The oval was the site of long-track speedskating events during the Vancouver Winter Olympics and has now been converted into a multi-use facility.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Six-time Olympic medallist Cindy Klassen competes in the womens 3,000m long track event at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games in Richmond, B.C. on Sunday February 14, 2010.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Canada Line in Vancouver.

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The widening of the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver to Whistler made the commute faster and safer. The Richmond Olympic Oval is a hub for recreational and high-performance athletes and houses the Canadian women’s volleyball team. The Hillcrest Centre provides curling and hockey ice and an aquatic facility, while Whistler’s sliding track is an annual World Cup stop.

2001 World Track and Field Championships

The Canadian flag is presented during the opening ceremonies Friday, Aug. 3, 2001, at the World Track & Field Championships at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.

AP Photo/Laura Rauch

Kenya’s Charles Kamathi reacts as he crosses the finish line to win the gold medal in the 10000 meters Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2001, during the World Track & Field Championships at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada.

AP Photo/Amy Sancetta

Germany’s Martin Buss celebrates after clearing the bar on his way to winning the gold medal in the Men’s high jump at the World Track and Field Championships at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Wednesday Aug. 8, 2001.

AP Photo/Laura Rauch

FILE – This is a Monday, Aug. 6, 2001 file photo of Ukraine’s Zhanna Pintusevich-Block, left, beats Marion Jones to the line to win the women’s 100-meter final during the World Track & Field Championships at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.

(AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File

Cuba’s Yipsi Moreno takesa victory lap after winning the gold medal in the women’s hammer throw Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2001, during the World Track & Field Championships at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta.

AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle

Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium hosted the eighth world track and field championships, and the first in North America. The events were televised to a global audience of four billion people.

But the event was remembered by the empty seats in the cavernous stadium, and the scathing attacks on Edmonton in British newspapers. And the Canadian team didn’t win a medal over the event’s 10 days.

Still, more than 400,000 tickets were sold, more per session than the attendance for the three previous world championships in Europe, and organizers said the $125 million event was on budget.

Canada didn’t host a major international track and field event at the senior level until the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

1994 FIBA World Basketball Championship

Toronto fan Doug Allen, dressed as a gorilla, holds up a flag in the top deck of the SkyDome as he celebrates the first baseball game playedat the Toronto Blue Jays’ new home in front of 52,000 spectators in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 5, 1989. The Skydome was the world’s first and only retractable roof Dome stadium.

AP Photo/Hans Deryk

Three Maple Leaf Gardens ushers watch as the players line up for the playing of the national anthems prior to the start of the Toronto Maple Leafs final game at Maple Leaf Gardens on Feb.13, 1999. From the Montreal Forum to the Boston Garden, National Hockey League games have been played in some iconic arenas over the years.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Toronto’s SkyDome and Maple Leaf Gardens, as well as Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, hosted the world basketball championships that were originally awarded to Belgrade, Yugoslavia. But when the United Nations imposed a trade embargo on the Balkan country, Toronto stepped up as a replacement option in 1992.

The ’94 world championships marked the first time FIBA allowed NBA players to participate. The result was the United States Dream Team 2 demolished Russia 137-91 for gold. Shaquille O’Neal was named the MVP. Canada finished seventh.

1988 Calgary Winter Olympics

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Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press

Calgary was severely lacking sports venues, so the build for the first Winter Games in Canada —with its price tag of $829 million — was significant.

The Saddledome, Olympic Oval, Canada Olympic Park, Canmore Nordic Centre, Nakiska Ski Resort and Max Bell Arena sprouted from the ground in the early 1980s, although the arrival of the NHL’s Flames also made the Saddledome a necessity.

A CTrain line from downtown to the city’s northwest was completed in 1987. A $220-million winter sport institute was constructed at Canada Olympic Park through the ’88 legacy foundation. The majority of winter high-performance athletes in Canada either train in Calgary or have come to the city for training camps and competition. Calgary regularly hosts World Cups and world championships.

A CTrain travels through Calgary.

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While the Canadian Olympic team failed to win a gold in Calgary and earned just five medals overall, the Games were arguably the seed for Canada’s eventual ascent into a Winter Games contender.

Canada increased its overall medal count at every Winter Games between 1988 and 2018, with the exception of a small dip from 26 in Vancouver to 25 at the 2014 Sochi Games.

1976 Montreal Summer Olympics

The Olympic Stadium is seen Wednesday, July 6, 2016 in Montreal.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Canada’s first Olympics was considered a financial white elephant, taking three decades to pay off. The final price tag for Olympic Stadium, labelled “The Big Owe,” and other Olympic Park structures was $1.47 billion. The stadium housed Major League Baseball’s Montreal Expos before they left in 2004, and the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes before they departed in 1999.

A worker does some maintenance in front of Olympic Stadium Wednesday, July 6, 2016 in Montreal.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

There are ’76 legacies, however, that contribute to the local and national sporting landscape. The park’s aquatic centre is a world-class venue for swimming, diving and synchronized swimming and home to the national synchro team. Claude Robillard Sports Complex is a multi-purpose facility that produced Olympic diving medallists Alex Despatie and Sylvie Bernier.

Prince Philip gives Princess Anne a few words of Advice while Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew listen in prior to her starting in the cross-country three day equestrian event at Bromont, Quebec July 24, 1976. The Olympic Games were officially opened in Montreal by Queen Elizabeth July 17.

CP Photo/ Chuck Mitchell

The equestrian centre in Bromont hosts international events. The velodrome was turned into an indoor nature exhibit.